Two Beauties and a Beast
by wulfgrl58
Summary: An incredibly damaged, driven, womanizing rookie vice detective. A beat cop bent on becoming a detective so she can solve her mother's murder, and a socially awkward ME, desperate for human connection. Working together to catch a serial killer. Two will fall in love. They will all find redemption. Rizzles with a dash of Kazzoli in the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Musings: Yes, I know, its been a minute since I've really posted anything, my apologies. But this idea came to me a few months ago, and I really want to do it right, so I've been taking a lot of time to edit and really flesh out a solid outline before posting anything. So, without further ado, chapter one:**

**(oh, and keep in mind, Rizzles is endgame for me, always)**

Boston was cold that night . Boston was cold most nights, but when all you're wearing is hooker heels, a mini dress and a smile , Boston feels extra cold.

Jane hated this part of the job. She knew that as a brand new detective in BPD's Vice unit she would have to go undercover, and she knew that as a woman she would most likely have to play a prostitute, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Lighting a cigarette, she carefully made her way down the quiet street, coughing as acrid smoke filled her lungs. It was a terrible habit, but it kept her warm and helped her blend in with the other working girls . Feeling a twinge in her ankle as her heel caught on a crack in the sidewalk, Jane longed to be back in her blues and boots, protecting her city from the heated interior of a squad car. She was so focused on her walking and smoking and inwardly complaining, she almost didn't notice the familiar shadow of a patrol car come up behind her.

* * *

><p>This was it. Her big break: if she arrested the hooker and got her to flip on her pimp or her dealer, or really anyone. Officer Katherine "Kate" Beckett was desperate for a break. Her sudden transfer to BPD from New York had put a slight delay in her plans, but if she wanted to properly work her mother's case, she needed to be a detective. No one was going to listen to a beat cop's conspiracy theories about her mother's cold case. A homicide detective, now that was different. A homicide detective had respect, clout, privileges that Kate didn't have as a uniform.<p>

"Beckett? Kate? What the FUCK are you doing here?!" There was a vein pulsing in the woman's forehead, and Kate's eyes widened as she realized who she had just arrested. She spun the scantily-clad woman around to face her.

"Detective Rizzoli? Is that really you? Jesus Christ, I didn't recognize you, I'm so, so sorry!" she said, scrambling in her pockets for her keys as the older woman huffed, tossing her head back to move her hair out of her eyes.

"Yes, Officer Beckett, that's kind of the point of UC, isn't it?" Kate met the detective's defiant gaze, but found that even she was vulnerable to the famed Rizzoli Death Stare, and looked at her boots.

"Ah, fuck, I hope I didn't compromise your ID," she mumbled, keeping her head down as she walked around her, fumbling with the keys as she uncuffed the detective. The second she was free, Rizzoli whirled around to face the patrol officer, one hand pushing back her wild hair while the other went to the back pocket of her leather mini-skirt.

"Oh, no, it's cool. Just my first big undercover op as a detective, and I just got arrested by the newbie Yank transfer. It's all good," Rizzoli replied, her tone biting as she scrolled through the phone she had just retrieved from her pocket "Totally gonna look great on my file when homicide starts taking applications. Great, Beckett. Real great." The sarcasm dripped from her voice as she typed something on her phone, snapping it shut when she finished.

"Hey, not my fault you're so good at looking like a working girl, Rizzoli," Kate bit back.

The detective furrowed her brow at the other woman's remark, upper lip tugging into a snarl.

"Well, I don't know how you guys do it down in the Big Apple, but here in Boston, we leave arresting hookers to Vice, especially when we know there is a big UC op being run by them," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stepped closer to the other woman.

Kate balked at Jane's sudden intrusion into her personal space, but didn't back down to the detective.

"I don't need to take this from you Rizzoli, I got bigger things to deal with than your UC" she retorted, narrowing her eyes as she turned away from the scantily clad woman.

"Hey where do you think you're going Rookie?" Jane barked, grabbing Kate's arm before she got out of reach "I'm not done with you" she added, glaring as the officer wheeled around, eyes wild with barely-contained anger. The energy between the two women was palpable as they stared off, silently daring the other to take it further.

"You better watch your next move, Rizzoli. You don't know what I'm capable of," she said, not blinking as she stared at the other woman, craning her neck slightly to compensate for Jane's higher stature, due mostly to the knee-high, heeled, black leather boots she was sporting.

Jane quirked an eyebrow, amused at the height difference.

"Listen, short stuff, I'm not about to get in a catfight with you, especially dressed like this, so back down there, Kujo," she said, her initial anger turning into amused sarcasm, and as she saw the rookie officer begin to relax, she stepped back.

Kate sighed, taking off her police cap and rubbing her hand over her tied-back hair.

"C'mon, Rizzoli, my shift is over in half an hour. They just got Blue Moon on tap at the Robber. Everyone knows it's your favorite, let me buy you a drink or two," she offered, extending her hand.

Smirking fully, Jane took it, giving it a firm shake. "Can't go to the Robber, Beckett. UC remember?" she replied.

"Oh shit, right," the other woman replied, bringing her hand to her head, chagrined.

"It's all good. You know O'Reilly's on Fifth?" Jane asked.

"Uh, no?" Beckett replied. Pointing to herself, she added, "New Yorker, remember?" with a grin, pronouncing 'New Yorker' with a stronger than usual accent for emphasis.

Jane sauntered over to the officer, pulling a pen from her small purse she had slung across her body.

"Here's the address, see ya in an hour," she said, writing down the information on Kate's palm. "I need time to change," she added, waving back towards the officer as she walked away. Kate, in turn, widened her grin, yelling, "Why, you look fine to me, Rizzoli!" as she went back to her patrol car, suddenly thankful her partner had called in sick at the last minute, and she had been flying solo that evening.

Jane slammed down her shot glass, looking Kate in the eye as she grabbed the proffered lime wedge out of the other woman's hand. At the detective's sudden motion, the younger woman's gaze locked on to Jane's digits.

"I like your...h-hands, Jane. They're...great. Lemme look at 'em," she slurred slightly, a result from the last tequila shot, as she held out her own hands, palms facing up.

Jane eyed the offered anatomy, slowly placing her own hand in Kate's slightly smaller palms.

Grasping them tightly, but not to the point of discomfort, Kate examined them carefully, auburn hair falling in front of her face in gentle waves as she ran an index finger down Jane's left palm.

"You know," she said, eyes focused on the patterns of lines in front of her, "a person's hands say a lot about them." Her voice was teasing and playful, flirtatious even, as she continued to study.

"Oh yeah?" Jane responded, using her free hand to lift her beer to her lips, sighing as the hoppy brew washed away the lingering taste of lime and agave.

"Well what does mine say?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Kate lifted a finger, never lifting her gaze. "Your hands," she paused briefly, "they've done a lot of different work. Manual labor, typing, writing, sports, exercising...you certainly work your hands hard there, Detective," she said, brow furrowed as she turned them over. "But they also have been creative, haven't they? You have the hands of a pianist, Jane. A hardworking pianist, who probably needs to moisturize more, but a pianist, definitely. Fingers like these? It would be a waste if you weren't." She looked up as she finished her assessment, reading the darker brunette's face, gauging her reaction.

Jane was shocked. It had been so long since she had even thought about the piano, but Kate had been accurate in her drunken examination. The piano had been one of the very few things her mother and her had agreed on as a child, but after the divorce there had been no money for lessons, and the only opportunity Jane had to play was stolen moments at her Nonna's house. But those moments, sitting at the faded bench, fingers carefully placed on worn keys, her grandmother at her side giving her notes and encouragement, those were precious memories that she kept tightly locked away.

"Jane, Jane, Jane...I need...you to help me pee." Kate broke the detective out of her reverie as she wobbled by the table. She leaned close to Jane, her lips millimeters from her ear. "Will you hold my hand, please?" she whispered, giggling as she started towards to bathroom.

Jane paused for a moment, debating whether or not to go after Kate. Making up her mind, she rose slowly from her seat and swaggered into the bathroom. She stumbled once before gaining her balance, boots heavy on the wooden floor of the bar as she followed her companion, grasping her hand when she caught up.

She didn't know when Kate's lips connected with hers. She didn't know when her hands had slid up the back of the younger woman's shirt, or how she managed to press her against the heavy wood of the bathroom door but there were teeth nipping at soft lips and nails scratching at smooth skin and Jane was not about to complain any time soon.

Someone's pounding on the door startled them apart

"We..I should go, Kate. I'm sorry, it's just...I can't do this." Jane rushed out of the bathroom, tugging down her shirt as she slid past the irate barkeep.

Kate stood still, watching the detective's form as she left. Shaking her head to clear out the beer-and-Jane-induced haze, she ran after the taller woman, grabbing her arm as she followed her outside.

"Jane, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry Kate, it's not you...I just can't do this."

"Yeah, you said that already. What's wrong, Jane?" Kate's brow furrowed as she tried to read the older woman's face. The anguish was clear, and the pain, but under that was...guilt? Kate's face relaxed as it dawned on her. "There's someone else isn't there?"

The taller woman scoffed, shrugging her shoulders at what Kate was suggesting.

Kate smirked. "Does Ladykiller Rizzoli have a crush?"

"Oh fuck you, Beckett, it's not a crush! There's just this...woman...at work, and I've only seen her a few times, and I just...ah." Jane's hands wound in her dark hair, as if the tugging at her scalp would somehow alleviate the conflict broiling within her. "I just can't get her out of my mind, ok? And it's screwing up everything." Jane smoothed down her shirt as she paced in front of the bar. Kate stopped her with a gentle hand on her friend's arm, gesturing to the front door with her free hand.

"Hey, Rizzoli, its ok. Let's just go back inside, have another drink, and you can tell me all about her." she spoke softly, trying to calm her anxious colleague. Jane sighed, running her hands through her hair once more before clapping Kate on the shoulder.

"Sure thing, Beckett"

"There's not really much to say" Jane said, peeling the label off her fresh beer while her boots tapped a cadence on the hardwood floor. "She's the new M.E. at HQ, Dr. Isles, you met her?"

Kate shook her head "Nope. but the name sounds familiar" Jane shrugged, eyes returning to the brown bottle in front of her.

"Well, she's the new M.E., just finished her residency at Boston General, and she's just," Jane slapped her hands flat on the sticky surface of the bar, digging her short, chipped fingernails into the worn surface. " She's frustrating! Like, I totally get vibes from her, y'know?" Jane turned to her companion, eyebrows knitting together as she took a pull of her beer. Kate nodded, curls bouncing as she grinned at the normally-stoic detective's emotional display.

" But she doesn't respond to me. At all. Unless its work related" she finished her tirade, taking another drink from the amber bottle, thumbnails going back to worrying the label. Kate smirked,

"Not used to girls resisting the Rizzoli charm huh?" she asked, poking her in the shoulder. Jane slapped her hand away, grinning sheepishly.

"Hey, worked on you didn't it?" she retorted. They both chuckled and turned back to their drinks. Jane sighed as her bottle made a dull thunk at meeting with the bartop.

"It's not even that though. Rumor is she doesn't really socialize with people from the precinct. At least, not the living ones. Spends all her time down at the morgue, doesn't even come up to the cafe for fresh air" she said, twirling the bottle between her hands. "Crowe's already got a nickname for her" she continued, eyes narrowed, as if imagining the snarky detective's face on the torn label "The Queen of the Dead, he's calling her"

**End note: I really want to know if there is any desire for more of this before I invest more time into it so PRETTY PLEASE tell me your thoughts?!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Musings: I am so sorry to anyone who thought I had abandoned this story. I have plenty of good reasons why this took so long, and some not-so-good reasons, but I won't burden you with them. Without further ado, have a chapter. I hope this makes up for my absence. **

'Generalized Anxiety Disorder', the precinct shrink calls it.

"Bullshit" Jane mutters to herself as she pushes the down button on the elevator. What does that even mean anyways? Lots of people worry about lots of stuff all the time, doesn't make them crazy. Because to Jane, "anxious" is synonymous with "crazy". Jane grew up in a world where going to a shrink meant you were too weak to deal with your issues by yourself. And Jane Rizzoli, youngest female detective in BPD history, was not weak. Do weak people get nicknamed 'The Beast' in the Academy? No. Do weak people spend their days arresting perverts and drug dealers and pimps? Jane didn't think so. She was not weak. And she didn't have this "General Anxious Diswhatever". She was just having a little trouble sleeping is all. It was normal, she was fine. All cops had trouble sleeping sometimes; it's part of the job. Any cop worth their salt spends their nights thinking over their day, categorizing events and recalling details of active cases, thinking up new angles and plays and methods and "maybe if I push this informant a little more" and "I wonder where that hooker Cyndi is, I haven't seen her in almost a week" and "God I hope Tommy cleans up his act" and "I should stop by the Academy on my next day off and see how Frankie is doing".

"Totally normal" she breathes as the elevator doors open up, revealing a certain M.E. that was definitely never a part of that seemingly endless list of thoughts.

"Oh, hello Detective Rizzoli, good to see you in the precinct " Dr. Isles said, ever the professional with her cool, detached tone. Dressed impeccably in a dark dress and matching heels that probably cost more than all of Jane's court suits combined, the ME (who was most certainly NOT the main focus of ANY of Jane's late-night musings) moved aside to allow the detective to step in.

"Dr. Isles" Jane replied, voice deeper than normal as her conversation with Kate from the other night flooded her memory. "I do work here" she retorted instinctively, mentally kicking herself as the doctor creased her brow, hurt and confusion briefly running behind her eyes as her Queen of the Dead mask fell momentarily. The facade was sharply back in place by the time she replied

"Well, I just don't normally see first year Vice detectives out of their undercover outfits, that's all."

Jane could almost feel the temperature in the small elevator drop at the other woman's tone.

The car stopped, a small ding indicating they had reached the ground floor. Glancing at the floor, Jane brought a hand to the top of her head, a fruitless attempt at smoothing down her curls as she moved to the opening door.

"Well, uh, good to see you I guess Dr. Isles. 'Til next time," she stammered as she stepped out, striding away without giving the other elevator occupant a chance to respond.

"Stupid, stupid," she grumbled, eyes glued to the tips of her boots until she collided with a blur of navy blue.

"Shit I am so sorry," she said as she scrambled to get up and offer her unintentional victim assistance, stopping when she realized who it was. "Well maybe I'm not really so sorry, since it's you" Jane smirked, crossing her arms as Officer Beckett made eye contact from the floor, flipping the detective the bird as she got up, dusting herself off and adjusting her uniform once she was fully vertical.

"Jesus Rizzoli, watch where you're going eh? I thought we were friends now" Kate laughed as she put her cap back on her head, checking it in a nearby window before punching Jane on the shoulder.

"Ow, come on Beckett, that's no way to treat a friend is it?" Jane grinned, gripping her arm in mock pain where the other woman had hit her, laughing as she bantered with the young officer, happy that at least with Kate she didn't have to second-guess her every move. Being around the fast-talking, ambitious young New Yorker was easy, simple, and most of all, fun. It was a stark contrast to her brief encounters with Maura, which always left her with her head spinning and jaw aching from her clenching it in frustration.

"Hey Beckett, when are you off shift?" Jane younger woman glanced down at her watch

"Uh, about 8 or so, assuming I don't arrest anyone last minute, why?" she replied, a devilish grin appearing as she guessed what the detective was going to ask next.

"Wanna grab a drink after shift?" the darker haired woman asked, a similar smirk involuntarily spreading across her face. Beckett raised an eyebrow as she replied

"We gonna have a repeat of last time?" Jane blushed briefly in embarrassment at her moment of insecurity,

"Oh, hell no" she answered, that crooked Rizzoli grin reappearing as she regained her composure. Kate laughed, flashing pearly whites as she turned to leave

"Well ok then, it's a date" she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

One beer turned into several, accompanied by more tequila than Jane had seen since her academy days, and when the weather outside deteriorated the two BPD women ran for the safety of Kate's apartment, two blocks over from the old-school pub

Giggling after their jaunt in the rain as Kate locked the door behind them, Jane standing just inside the doorway, taking in the modern brick-walled studio the New Yorker called home.

"You like? I'm not done decorating, haven't had the time." Kate inquired, tilting her head.

Jane grinned,

"Seems a little cold for you Bex" she commented, eyes roaming across the brick and stainless steel, harsh and impersonal, and not what Jane associated with the friendly, if a bit intense, officer she was growing to know better and better.

The rain beat against the large windows along the east wall, lightning flashing, illuminating everything in sharp relief. Jane was mesmerized by the way the bolts caught the other woman's cheekbones, accentuating her full lips, parted slightly as she caught her breath from their mad dash from the bar. A chill rippling through the detective's body broke the tension. Kate looked her up and down, smirking as she turned away

"come on Rizzoli," she called back as delicate hands gripped the bottom of her thin dark blue top, "let's get you warmed up" she continued as she walked towards the only other door in the apartment, peeling her shirt and jeans off as she sauntered away.

Jane was frozen, not quite believing what was happening as she listened to the telltale squeak of a shower being turned in.

Kate poked her head out from behind the door, steam billowing out from behind her,

"Well, are you joining me or not Jane?"

Head clouded with alcohol and cold, Jane simply nodded, stripping off her wet clothes and following the younger woman to the damp heat of the bathroom.

Jane awoke the next morning to a throbbing headache and the scent of fresh coffee mixed with a shampoo that was familiar, but not hers. She sat upright in the bed, silky red sheets falling to reveal that she was naked, bar a pair of NYPD gym shorts. Glancing to the source of the coffee scent, she saw Kate perched on a stool at the kitchen island, munching on a bagel as she gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows, late-morning sun bathing her in gold. Jane noted a second bagel placed next to the other woman, and zeroed in on the steaming cup of coffee adjacent to it. Head screaming for caffeine, Jane scrambled out of the low bed, grabbing her tank top from the night before that had been dried, folded, and left at the foot of the bed at some point.

"Jesus, how long have you been up?," she grumbled, pulling the soft fabric over her head as she shuffled and stumbled her way to the kitchen area, hands going straight for the steaming mug as soon as they were free from liberating her hair from the straps of her top. She moaned as she inhaled the nutty, bitter aroma, eliciting a low chuckle from Kate as she watched the detective settle onto the other stool, Jane's lips never leaving the mug.

"Well good morning detective," she said, shifting to face the older woman better. "To answer your question, I sleep like shit when I drink, I find it better to just get up after the first time I wake up instead of fighting to sleep." Jane hummed in understanding as she started on the bagel, sighing at the slight crunch of lightly toasted bread as she bit into it. Noting the NYU tee and pair of simple black boyshorts that Kate was wearing, and remembering the state of undress she had awoken in, Jane tried to sort through the jumble of memories from the night before. She was met with a barrage of images and sensations;

The heat of the shower,

Giggling,

Touching that started out hesitant,

But grew bolder as they tested,

Explored impossibly soft skin that had been so warm against Jane's frozen fingertips,

fluffy towels and teasing looks,

Kate throwing the gym shorts at Jane's head, both of them laughing as she drags them over long legs while Kate's smoldering gaze locks onto her exposed torso,

the officer's lips finding their way to hers

Kate's fingers traveling from her shoulders

Lower

Lower

Until-

-"oh"

Kate glanced over from her plate, noting the blush spreading across her companion's cheeks.

"I take it you just remembered last night," she said bluntly. Jane could only manage an embarrassed "mmhmm" of confirmation, accompanied by a quick head bob as she busied herself with her breakfast.

"Look, Jane, I'm not after a relationship. We're friends, we had a little fun last night, it doesn't have to mean anything beyond that."

"Are you sure? She asked hesitantly, eyes glued to Kate's deep brown ones, gauging her reaction. Kate was relaxed, and laughed as she answered.

"Geez Rizzoli, we slept together, we didn't get married ." visibly relaxing, Jane let her eyes wander down the other woman's figure, not needing much effort to remember what it looked like with nothing over it.

"Well, if you're sure Beckett," she drawled, voice deepening as her eyes continued to wander, " I'm having a little trouble remembering certain...details, of last night, care to help me refresh my memory?" she asked, lips spreading into her trademark mischievous grin as she stood up

"Oh, Detective, I thought you'd never ask," Kate breathed as her hands met Jane's waist, lips colliding as they re-familiarized with each other. The sensation of soft lips meeting equally soft skin as Jane moved to the other woman's neck was more energizing than coffee, the jolt of Kate's fingernails scratching gently at her shoulder blades as she marked the younger woman's skin with teeth and suction woke her more than any morning run pretended it could, and as Jane returned to newly-familiar lips she could feel a sense of calm wash over her.

It was different, kissing sober. Good different. The playfulness was still there, Kate tugging Jane's lower lip between her teeth, giggling as the detective retaliated with a gentle jab to the ribs, but there was something else that hadn't been there the night before, something sharp and wicked and hot. Both women harbored demons, had hidden shadows in their hearts from events that had long since past that they could not forget as much as they could not forget their own names, and as they moved from the kitchen to the silky crimson sheets of Kate's bed they realized that for now, in the confines of the brick-and-steel of the apartment, they didn't have to dwell on their darkness. They busied themselves with driving the other to bliss, and in that moment they were free.

**Reviews motivate me more than you know! Hope you liked the chapter. **


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